Nutrition.
Although a great portion of Beijing's population goes out for chow rather than choosing to eat at home every day - how could one not, with the ca. 50,000 restaurants in this city? - there are still ample shopping opportunities for buying food of all sorts in Beijing.
Chinese supermarkets or hypermarkets (offering more than just food, i.e. also clothing, toiletries, cleaning products, household items, etc.) can be found in every city neighborhood and are typically very reasonably priced. The prices are as labeled here, so no need to practice those bargaining skills when buying at these stores. However, cart sellers offering fresh fruit and sellers at most open-air food markets often expect to be bargained with.
Even the pickiest eaters will find no shortage of imported goodies. There are several smaller grocers that carry international food products. Jenny Lou's has anything from cheese to cake mix to dill pickles and has stores scattered throughout the eastern part of the city. The locally run chain even has an online shop to purchase groceries from. Another local shop is April Gourmet, which is usually located not far from Jenny Lou's.
A somewhat fancier option (i.e. slightly more expensive but very well maintained and less crowded) is the Olé Supermarket, which can be found in several malls. Carrefour, the large hypermarket chain originally hailing from France, is another favorite with foreigners and has nine stores in Beijing. (To see a listing of all of these stores, click on the Carrefour link below and then choose Beijing (北京) from the drop-down menu.)
Something to be aware of is the fact that the manufacture/production date (加工日期 or 生产日期), rather than the expiration date (有效日期 or 保质期), is often printed on the packaging. The expiration date (or more likely the length of time from the production date that the product expires) may be hidden somewhere in the small print on the side of the packaging. Particularly stores specializing in imported goods have been known to neglect checking the expiration date on their products, so it's best to check it for oneself.
Below are some of the better-known supermarkets and hypermarkets where international food products are available. However, keep in mind that shopping at Chinese markets will be much cheaper, so it's best to go to the following shops only for specific items that are otherwise hard to find.
Jenny Lou's
6 Sanlitun Beixiaojie
三里屯北小街6号
Phone: 010 6461 6928
Opening hours: 8 am - 10 pm
Link: Jenny Lou's...
Jenny Lou's
West gate of Chaoyang Park
朝阳公园西门
Phone: 010 6501 6249
Opening hours: 8 am - 12 am
Link: Jenny Lou's...
Jenny Lou's
Building 4, Jianwai SOHO,
CBD/Guomao
建外SOHO4号楼
Phone: 010 5869 2253
Opening hours: 8 am - 10 pm
Link: Jenny Lou's...
Jenny Lou's
In River Garden, Shunyi
裕京花园别墅区内
Phone: 010 8046 5109
Opening hours: 9 am - 8 pm
Link: Jenny Lou's...
Olé Supermarket
In the basement of Ginza Mall
48 Dongzhimen Waidajie
Exit C, Dongzhimen station, subway line 2
东直门外大街48号
地铁二号线东直门站C出口
Phone: 010 8447 7298
Opening hours: 10 am - 10 pm
Link: Ginza Mall...
April Gourmet 绿叶子食品店
1 Sanlitun Beixiaojie
三里屯北小街1号
Phone: 010 8455 1245
Opening hours: 8 am - 9 pm
April Gourmet 绿叶子食品店
1/F Just Make, Xingfu Zhongjie, Sanlitun
幸福中街杰座大厦1层
Phone: 010 6417 7970
Opening hours: 8 am - 12 am
April Gourmet 绿叶子食品店
Outside the south gate of Capital Paradise, Shunyi
后沙峪乡白辛庄名都园南门外
Phone: 010 8046 4132
Opening hours: 8 am - 9 pm
Carrefour 家乐福
B6 Beisanhuan Donglu (NE 3rd Ring road)
beside International Exhibition Center
北三环东路乙6号
中国国际展览中心正门旁
Phone: 010 8460 1013
Opening hours: 8 am - 10 pm
Link: Carrefour China...